Laughter Heals All Wounds Repost
by Red Vines and Pigfarts
Summary: Elizabeth Morgan is trapped in an abusive relationship and can't see a way out. Will a job at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and a very close relationship with George Weasley be her saving grace?
1. Chapter 1

A Note: Hi everyone! Ok this is perfectly seventh book compliant except for one little detail; Fred lives! I couldn't kill off Fred, :( I loves him too much. Other than that, everything's the same. Reviews (good and bad) are always appreciated! I need to know how I'm doing! Enjoy.

George was reluctant to admit it, but Lee and his brother might be right about needing to hire on someone extra. The shop was getting busy and the three of them couldn't handle the store by themselves anymore. He begrudgingly agreed to allow Fred to put the "Help Wanted" sign in their window. They quickly realized that they had gotten in way over their heads.

The very next day, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was flooded with prospective employees. Some were honestly seeking a job but others were just ecstatic at the prospect of working in an adolescent boy's heaven. Either way, none of them came close to their standards. Not that they had a set list or anything, they just kind of thought that when the right employee came, they would know it.

"Well, almost closing time," Lee said, getting up from his orange stool behind the check-out counter. Fred looked frustrated. "Maybe we're being too picky." He muttered. "I mean that Michael kid would have been fine" George did not feel the same way. "No he wouldn't have been! A kid wearing a pocket protector just wouldn't have "been fine"! He's the kind of kid our products are used on for Merlin's sake!"

Just then they heard the bells on their door ring, announcing a new entry into their store. "Hello?" called a female voice. The three of them looked up to see the intruder. In the doorway stood a petite brunette, with large doe brown eyes and a huge smile, which looked as if it were permanently pasted on her doll-like face. "Sorry I'm so late. I was wondering if the position had been filled yet…"

"Nope. Wouldja like a whack at it?" Lee asked cheerfully, pulling up a magenta colored stool up for their female guest. The girl nodded eagerly, taking the offered seat. "I'm Lizzie Morgan," she said, reaching out her arm socially, firmly shaking each of their hands. George, in particular, enjoyed the softness of her skin. They didn't run across many women in their line of work.

"How old are you Lizzie?" George asked, just for the record. "21" she answered. Two years younger than the three of them. "So, what makes you interested in this particular job," Fred asked, the boredom obvious in his voice. He had asked this so many times today already, he was getting frustrated. Lizzie chose to ignore his tone. "Well, it's not your average job, is it? No one wants to be pushing papers all day. Besides, I've always been very social. I'd love interacting with the customers all day." Lee just nodded, with his normal goofy smile. "Have any experience in shop management, then?" he asked.

Lizzie nodded and handed them a small stack of pale yellow papers. "I worked at the Sweet Shop in Diagon Alley after I graduated. Mrs. Perriwinkle gave me a reference." Fred took the small stack of papers and began looking them over instantly.

"Thanks Lizzie," George said with a grin. "You can expect an owl soon," Lizzie nodded, still smiling her infectious smile and swiftly walked out of the store. She made her way down the roads of Diagon Alley towards her small apartment she shared with her boyfriend. She looked at her watch and began to panic a little. She told him she'd be home by 7:00 and it was 7:20 now. She prayed he wouldn't notice.

She walked up the dingy staircase and slowly opened the door. Cassius was sitting on their couch, nursing a glass of firewhiskey and staring out the window. "You're home late, Lizzie," he muttered, obviously not pleased.

Lizzie desperately tried to keep her heartbeat and breathing normal. She gave him a small, unsure smile, nothing like the warm one she had given the twins only minutes earlier. "I'm sorry darling. I was out looking for a job, just like you asked," Cassius pushed himself off the couch and walked closer to her. "That's my girl," he whispered, letting some of his dark, shaggy hair fall in front of his piercing grey eyes. Lizzie had once thought he was handsome, now he just looked frightening.

"Now how about you help me work off some of this firewhiskey," he groaned, playfully nipping at her ear. She winced and tried to back off. "I-I don't know Cass. I haven't been feeling well lately, a-and…" Cassius' steely eyes flashed with anger. "What?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. "W-well… It's just that I've been sick lately and I wouldn't want to…" Cassius shoved her roughly against the wall, knocking the wind out of her so she couldn't finish her statement. "I know you're not saying no to me," he hissed in her ear, roughly gripping her by her upper arm. She winced, feeling the bruise already beginning to form.

Being intimate with Cassius used to be the one time Lizzie felt safe. It was the one time he was careful and tender with her. A couple of weeks ago, that changed. He was violent in bed, bruising, battering, and choking. Her heart leaped into her throat at the memory. She began weighing her options. Which would be less painful; saying yes or saying no?

Just then, an owl swooped to the window and squaked, demanding attention. He was carrying a magenta and orange letter. Lizzie quickly escaped Cassius' vice like grip to open it. Her smile grew to epic proportions as she read it. "I got the job, Cass!" she exclaimed happily, hoping the news would improve his mood. It did.

He smiled and hugged her gently, kissing her on the cheek. "That's wonderful, sweetheart." He said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "You'll need your rest. Get to bed," he said kindly. Lizzie nodded obediently and gave him a peck on the lips before beginning her nighttime ritual. As she was brushing her teeth, her mind wandered back to the beginning of her relationship with Cassius.

He hadn't always been brutish; if he had she never would have entered the relationship in the first place. He had treated her like a princess in the beginning. Always gentle, loving, and considerate. He really was the perfect boyfriend. All of her friends loved him and everything was right with the world.

When he asked her to move in with him, she had been beyond happy. She jumped right in, saying yes and moving in the very next week. But after that, things changed. It was very gradual, but they definitely changed. He began demanding more and more of her time so she never saw any of her friends. He demanded that she quit her job at the Sweets Shop, claiming that it was draining her of the energy she needed for him. That was the first time he had hit her.

She didn't want to quit her job, she loved it. She loved selling bags of candy to small children and being around cheerful Mr. and Mrs. Perriwinkle all day. Upon her refusal to quit her job, he slapped her across the face so hard it made her ears ring. Of course he immediately began apologizing and kissing the stinging cheek. For a couple of days after he would treat her like a princess again, buying her presents and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. But then things went back to normal, until she made him angry again.

These "apology periods" grew shorter and shorter and his outbursts of anger happened more often. He had recently been fired from his job for lack of anger management skills. He then insisted that she get a job again, to pay the bills and all that. She pretended to agree reluctantly but really, she couldn't be happier. She was hoping that a job would give her a feeling of independence again. Maybe she could save up enough money to be able to move out.

She had wanted to move out for such a long time, but she had no where to go. She had no money after Cassius had made her quit her job and she had alienated all her friends, also because of Cassius. This job was going to change things for her. She could feel it.


	2. Chapter 2

A Note: All of you who reviewed, you guys rock my socks! All the feedback REALLY helps, keep it up!

Lee, Fred, and George met just outside the Three Broomsticks and made their way to their shop together. Today was Lizzie's first day and Fred was having second thoughts. "Do you think we made the right choice?" he asked, unlocking the front door.

"Course not," Lee said cheerfully, turning on all the lights and adjusting some of the displays. "She'll be great." Fred nodded. He was being ridiculous.

Lizzie came into the store just minutes after them, perfectly punctual. "I'm ready for work!" she announced cheerfully, again flashing the huge smile they were beginning to associate her with.

George handed her a magenta and orange apron which she quickly put on over her t-shirt and jeans. "Welcome to the team, kid," he said cheerfully, ruffling her hair. "You'll be playing the role of cashier today. Are you up for it?"

"Sir, yes sir!" she proclaimed, saluting cheerfully before taking up her post behind the check-out counter. "How do I look?" She asked, adopting a very authoritative facade behind the counter.

Lee stood back, appraising her. "Very business like. This just won't do. George! Help the poor girl out," George saluted his best mate and ran behind the counter, carefully threading her hair out of the neat, carefully constructed braid. He ruffled up her hair, tactfully placing certain strands.

"There! Messy, playful, and very attractive. Now you fit in perfectly!" George grinned, slapping her shoulder jovially. Lizzie's knees buckled as she gasped in pain. George looked horrified.

"Are you ok?" he asked, helping her up. She paused for a second letting the pain fade. Once it had, she gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it. I must have banged my shoulder pretty hard last night…" She realized that the cover story was lame but the three of them seemed to buy into it.

After this little incident, Lee, Fred, and George decided to step back and watch their newest cashier in action. After a little while, it was clear to all three of them that they had definitely made the right decision. She never lost that huge smile on her face, always amiable to the customers (even the ones who behaved in an "inappropriate" way). They soon felt comfortable enough to leave her unsupervised and went about their everyday responsibilities.

Every once in a while, George would glance over and watch his newest employee. Just to admire her a little. Of course, being sneaky only works so many times and Lizzie eventually caught him. She just smiled sweetly and waved. He grinned and waved back before going back to work.

"Ooooooh," Fred squealed girlishly. "Making eyes at the new employee?" He nudged his blushing twin playfully with his shoulder.

"Laugh if you like, oh brother of mine," he says, slicking his hair back. "She wants me. I'm the better looking twin, after all,"

The day progressed cheerfully and efficiently. Lizzie was proving to be a model employee. She even managed to break apart two eight-year-old boys who were squabbling over a set of muggle magic tricks.

It was time to close up shop and Lizzie proved helpful there too. She was better than any of the three of them at tidying charms. They came in very handy when cleaning up the bottles of spilled love potion on the floor.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, then?" Lizzie said happily, hanging up her apron and putting on her coat, preparing to go home.

The three of them nodded. "Great work today, Liz. See you bright and early tomorrow," Lee announced jovially before sweeping his way out of the store, making his way to his apartment. Fred followed suit but George stayed behind for a second.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" he asked with a huge goofy grin on his face. "You look like a pretty good target for muggers, killers and the like."

Lizzie struggled to keep a straight face. "Well… I suppose I should allow it. I'm not planning on getting mugged or murdered tonight." Fred looped his arm through hers and started walking her home.

They came up to the apartment building and started walking up the staircase. Lizzie suddenly turned around stopped Fred. "I can take it from here," she assured him. "I doubt there are any rapists or murderers in the next 50 feet,"

George smiled and nodded. "Alright, see you tomorrow then…" He turned around awkwardly and started walking away.

Lizzie smiled and waved at him, walking up to her apartment and walking in. She instantly saw Cassius sitting in his normal spot with his usual glass of firewhiskey.

"Hello sweetheart" he cooed in a sickeningly sweet voice. "How was your first day at work?" He walked up to her and kissing her on the cheek.

Lizzie beamed at him. "It was amazing Cass. I love working again,"

Cassius growled happily and pushed her up against the wall. "Why don't we celebrate then?" He whispered, licking and nipping at her neck. Lizzie's joy all of a sudden turned to nausea. She knew she couldn't say no to him. She had already tried that last night and attempting to refuse him two nights in a row sounded too dangerous to try. She gave in quietly, hoping for it to be done soon.

Lizzie woke up the next morning, sore everywhere possible. She decided to get up and inspect the damage. She got up slowly, groaning softly, trying to work past the soreness of her muscles. She eventually made her way to her full body mirror. A couple of bruises around her ribs, on her thighs, and her jaw had a huge black and blue blotch. She winced; just looking at it made it more painful. She wasn't sure she could cover it up.

Cassius had gotten up and started inspected the damage he had caused. He appraised it quietly and calmly, taking in his handiwork. "You'll need to stay home today. That bruise is hideous,"

Lizzie nodded glumly and started writing a letter to the Weasley's and Lee. She quickly explained that she had gotten very ill and wouldn't be in for a couple of days. She apologized multiple times, feeling terrible about being absent her only second day of work. But she knew she couldn't show up with this huge bruise on her face. It would definitely cause some suspicion. She quickly sent the owl and started making Cassius some breakfast.

A few miles away, George was opening Lizzie's letter. He frowned. "Lizzie's sick," he announced. "She won't be in for a few days,"

"Aw, man!" Lee grumbled. "Well, I hope she feels better soon," he said dismissively, beginning the opening routine.

"I'll bring her some soup or something during my lunch break," George proclaimed, straightening some of their product displays.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? She lives with her boyfriend, I'm sure he'll take great care of here," Fred assured him. George just shrugged.

"Yeah well… I want her to know we're thinking about her, I guess." The other two just shrugged and went about their daily routine.

The morning went by relatively smoothly, although not as smoothly as the previous day when they were fully manned. George excused himself and got some chicken noodle soup from the Three Broomsticks and made his way to the apartment he had walked her to the night before.

He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A large man with shaggy black hair and wild grey eyes threw open the door. "How can I help you?" he asked gruffly. He obviously wasn't too fond of the idea of visitors.

"Erm… Lizzie owled us to tell us she was sick so I thought I'd bring over something to make her feel better… Do I have the right apartment number?" George attempted to explain but this appeared to make the oaf angry.

"Cass! Cass it's ok. It's just my boss!" Came Lizzie's worried voice from inside the apartment. She gently nudged her alleged boyfriend and gave George a small, embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, George," she said, quickly taking the bowl of soup. "That was very sweet." She attempted to keep her chin tucked out of view but George saw it. A huge, painful looking bruise, right on her jaw line, creeping up to her cheek. His eyes went wide.

"Bloody Hell, Liz! How did that happen?" he exclaimed, never being a master of subtlety. Lizzie began to stutter nervously.

"I knocked my chin on.. on our kitchen table while I was… cooking… and… yes. Well, I'll see you in a few days. I'll be back soon, promise!" she quickly shut the door, hoping to avoid any more questions.

George was stunned. He turned around and made his way back to the store numbly, trying to sort out what he had just seen. Something was going on, and he was going to find out what it was.


	3. Chapter 3

A Note: Hi everyone! I am soooooo sorry how long it took me to update. I was traveling without access to the Internet. But I'm back now and I'm getting right on it! I'll try to make this chapter extra long to make up for my absence. I need reviews! They are what keep me going! Love you all!

"I'm telling you, it was a right nasty bruise. Size of a snitch square on her jaw!" George raved at his twin and business partner, arms waving in the air.

"Well, maybe she did hit her chin on the table," Lee suggested, knowing that George was prone to overreaction. George only got more exasperated and rolled his eyes. "She made that up! I could tell! She's not a very good liar," Fred and Lee looked at each other doubtfully.

George's turned cherry red with frustration. Lee jumped in to avoid another outburst. "I'm sure if she needs help, she'll ask for it," he said jovially, swishing his wand and extinguishing all the lights in the store as the three friends made their way out of their shop.

"I guess…" George muttered reluctantly. The three business partners went there separate ways, towards their separate apartments.

George threw his cloak in the corner angrily and collapsed on his bed, glaring at the ceiling. He knew he was right. That gorilla of a boyfriend of hers had hit her and he was going to get him for it.

A few more days passed (excruciatingly slow for George) before Lizzie returned to work, with only a faint shadow of the bruise George had seen earlier. No other trace of what George suspected was going on could be seen though. She was bouncy and cheerfully, obviously ecstatic to be back at work. Fred and Lee were just as happy as she was. They had been positively swamped and completely over whelmed without her mad cashier skills.

George restrained himself and made no mention of what had happened until they were closing up the shop for the night. Lizzie was flipping the store sign from "Open" to "Closed" when George approached her.

"Feeling better, Liz?" he asked casually, giving her a once over to see if he could see anymore bruises. She smiled brightly at him and nodded. "Good as new! I'm sorry about Cass' behavior. He must have been tired," George just nodded dismissively.

"Is that something that happens often?" He asked casually, flicking his wand to deal with some spilt scar solution beginning to seep into the wooden floor of their shop.

"What do you mean?" she asked, keeping her voice even. George shrugged a little, concentrating on her face to see any signs of anxiety. "He seemed really aggressive is all. One of his dominant personality traits?" He saw her tense up a little.

"I wouldn't say that, no" was her slightly edgy reply.

"Well I know how blokes can be sometimes. Anger can really get the better of them," Lizzie looked at him cautiously, but nodded and went about closing up the shop. "Has he ever gotten that angry at you before?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business" she said calmly, trying to push past George and make her way towards her apartment. George put his hand out and stopped her. He decided it would be best to just come out and say it. "Has Cass ever hurt you, Liz?" He immediately realized that this was the wrong way to ask the question.

Lizzie's entire face turned red, from anger or humiliation George couldn't tell. "What are you playing at? Get out of my way!" she started raising her voice and tried pushing past him more aggressively but George stood his ground.

"Lizzie, what the hell?" She finally shoved passed him and ran all the way to the apartment.

Seeing that Cass wasn't there to greet her, she assumed he had gone out for a drink. She collapsed on the floor and rested her head against the apartment wall, letting tears fall down her face. Regret flooded her stomach like a nauseating shot of ice water.

George had given her an out. If she had just told him what was going on, she was sure he could have offered her a safe place to stay. She didn't have to come crawling back to the hellhole but she did. She banged her head against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut in mental anguish. She was pathetic. She was an idiot. Did she want to stay in this relationship? Did she deep down love Cass for how he treated her? Did she deserve it?

Unable to take her misery, she crawled to the bedroom and curled up into a ball on top of the covers. She wasn't aware of when exactly she had dozed off; all she knew was when she opened her eyes, her clock was blinking a neon green 5:37 AM. She could hear Cass's snoring from the living room, probably passed out on the couch after being out late with his buddies.

She made her way drowsily to the shower, when a rush of nausea hit her. Very glad that she was already in the bathroom, she dropped to her knees and wretched in the toilet a few times. The nausea left as suddenly as it came. She shrugged it off, chalking it up to nerves, and quickly showered and dressed for work. She momentarily considered not going in that day, but she didn't want to cast further suspicion on her relationship with Cass.

After a quick shower and sprucing up, she made her way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Letting herself in with her copy of the key, she noticed that she was the first to arrive. For some reason, this fact was a great relief to her. She instantly busied herself with setting up the shop for opening.

Much to her dismay, the next employee to arrive was George. After he entered, they both froze, looking at each other sheepishly. George wished he had handled the conversation better yesterday and Lizzie was embarrassed about her temper-tantrum-like exit.

George opened his mouth to apologize but Liz beat him to the punch. "Listen, George. I shouldn't have gotten so angry yesterday. You were just worried about me… There was no reason for me to get so upset,"

George faltered for a second but recovered quickly with his usual, over the top grin. He had not expected an apology from her. After all, she was the one who deserved to be apologized to. He shouldn't have jumped to any conclusions the way he did.

"I'll think of a way for you to make it up to me," he teased, flicking the lights on with a swish of his wand, instantly illuminating the cheerful, if not a little cramped, joke shop.

The rest of the work day went by without incident. As did the next week, and then the next month. George never asked another question about Cassius, nor did he have a reason to. Cassius had learned his lesson about being so careless with his abuse. He was now keeping the bruises in places not easily seen.

There was one thing of consequence occurring, however, that no one but Lizzie was aware of. She seemed to be constantly nauseous and was now a full week late for her period. She was pregnant; she was convinced of it.

She made her way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, more nauseous than her morning sickness usually caused her. She was sure she was pregnant and she didn't know what she was going to do. She could handle Cassius, but a baby? This was different. This changed everything.

George, Fred, and Lee all noticed the change in Lizzie's demeanor. She was her usually sunny self with their customers, but she was strangely quiet, maybe a little paler. They didn't hear her say a word to anyone until closing time.

She walked over to George with a small smile. Since she had begun working there, she had developed the closest relationship with George (not that she didn't love Lee and Fred, of course). "George, would you like to eat dinner with me?" she asked sweetly.

George was a little surprised. After not hearing her talk all day, it was odd to receive a dinner invitation out of the blue. "Sure thing, Lizzie bean," he proclaimed happily, despite his obvious shock.

They made their way to the Three Broomsticks in silence; Lizzie fixated on the cobble stone street and George stealing occasional glances at her doll-like face. He had a feeling that something was on her mind, but he decided he'd let her tell him on her own terms. He didn't want a replay of the last time he tried to get something out of her.

The silence continued all the way through choosing a table and ordering their food. It wasn't until half way through the salad course that George just couldn't hold it in anymore. "So Liz, what's up with you lately?" With that simple question, something snapped inside of her.

Lizzie began shaking violently and sobbing, the flood gates had opened. George was thoroughly horrified. What had he done? Had he said something? She was shaking violently and had her palms planted on her face, as if trying to muffle the sound of her crying. He instantly requested a few to-go boxes and walked Lizzie outside, onto a side street.

He rubbed her shoulder gently, but still trying to keep a little bit of distance, waiting for her to catch her breath. He didn't want to make it worse by being a pain in the ass and asking a shit load of questions.

"I-I'm pregnant," she gasped out between the tears and gasps for air. George almost couldn't understand her but what she said slowly sunk in. "You were right," she admitted as soon as she was coherent. "About everything. And now I'm pregnant and…" she couldn't bring herself to finish, a fresh wave of tears was building up.

George didn't understand. "Right about what?" he asked, looking at her inquisitively.

They locked eyes for a moment, her chocolate brown ones looking imploringly into his hazel ones. He then realized what she was talking about. His hunch had been correct. Cassius had given her that bruise on her jaw, not a kitchen table. He was willing to bet it wasn't the only time it had happened either. He was so angry, he almost forgot about her other piece of news. Almost.

He was able to put aside his rage and just hugged her, kissing her on the cheek. "Come on, you can spend the night at my place," she didn't offer any objections as he lead her through the streets of Diagon Alley and into the streets of Muggle London gently by the hand. He brought her to his apartment building and set her down in his bed. The emotional outpour had exhausted her. Her eyes were already starting to close of their own accord. He made sure she was comfortable and left her to Dreamland.

He got an extra pillow and blanket and got comfortable on the chair next to his bed. He felt a rush of warmth, knowing for sure that Lizzie was now safe.


	4. Chapter 4

REVIEWS REVIEWS REVIEWS! I will love you forever!

It was George who woke up first, blinking his eyes against the bright morning light. He had a slight crick and his neck and he cursed himself for being so stupid, wondering why he thought sleeping in an armchair was a good idea. After his corneas had adjusted to the glaringly bright light, he saw Lizzie lying in his bed, sleeping peacefully and he remembered why he endured the less than comfortable night.

One of her arms was resting across her stomach and the other was stretched over her head, resting on a blanket of her hair. She looked like she was sleeping much better than she had in a very long time. George gave her sleeping form a small smile before getting up to start some tea. It was only a few minutes later that Lizzie joined him in the kitchen. She wasn't able to look him in the eye. She just stood in the archway of his kitchen, leaning on the wall and staring at his linoleum floor bashfully.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," she finally whispered when she had mustered up the bravery. "Don't even mention it," he said with a big smile, offering her a cup of tea, which she accepted gratefully. George waited a few moments before asking her questions, very carefully of course.

"Does Cass know?" Lizzie remained silent; she just stared at the kitchen table, running her finger thoughtfully around the rim of her teacup, shaking her head no slowly. She couldn't imagine telling Cass. She had no way to gage his reaction. Would he be angry? Excited? She didn't have the slightest idea.

"Have you been to St. Mungo's yet?" Again, Lizzie shook her head no, only now was her situation sinking in.

"Well we'll take care of those two first then. I'll send for some restraining order forms from the Ministry and then I'll take you down to St. Mungo's." Lizzie smiled at him appreciatively.

George let her go off and take a shower as he sent in a formal request for the necessary papers to ensure that Cass wouldn't come near Lizzie again. She was only in the shower for ten minutes or so before she came out, wrapped in a white fluffy towel.

George was stunned for a minute. Of course, everything important was covered but something about her still wet hair and the a few remaining water-droplets rolling down her arms and back was incredibly sexy. "Did you see where I put my wand?" she asked. What was wrong with her? Didn't she realize how tempting she was right now?

"Umm… yeah. I put it on the dresser, next to the testing products," Lizzie smiled her thanks and went to retrieve it. George snapped himself out of it and got back to filing his request, owling it to the ministry the second he was done.

Lizzie came back out later, fully dressed and hair magically dried. "Are you ready to leave for St. Mungo's?" George asked. She nodded and they apparated together to the lobby of their destination.

Lizzie checked herself in and she was lead back into an examination room, with George by her side. A friendly looking healer, an elderly man with shoulder length, graying hair, and understanding brown eyes. "Miss Morgan?" he asked, checking his parchment.

"Yes sir," she confirmed, with a smile that didn't convey the panic she was feeling. "Well, congratulations on the news," he jubilated, with a small huge smile that only proved that he knew nothing about the situation at hand. "Now, have you been properly tested?" he asked, not having any records of such a test taking place.

"No sir, but I'm two weeks late for my period and I've been getting terrible morning sickness," the healer simply nodded solemnly. "Well it certainly sounds like you're pregnant. We should test it though, just to confirm it," He took a small blood sample and left the room, to confirm Lizzie's pregnancy.

The two of them sat in silence in the eerily white, sterile room. Neither knew what to say or what to do. George attempted a few jokes, but they all flopped, failing to lighten the mood. George figured now would be the right time to tell her what he'd been thinking about.

"Lizzie-bean, I think you should live with me for a while," George said tentatively. "You can't go back to living with Cass and, with…" he paused for a moment. "with the baby," Lizzie cringed a little. It was so strange to hear it out loud. "Well… I don't want you to feel alone. I want to help,"

Lizzie didn't know what to say. She felt like she was about to cry, but the tears were being blocked in her throat. "I understand you probably don't want a relationship right now, but it doesn't have to be like that. I'll come with you to every check-up, I'll be there when the baby is born, anything you want," A few moments passed without any more words being spoken. Once everything had sunken in, Lizzie still didn't say anything. She simply rested her head on his shoulder, and all was understood. Words weren't necessary.

They didn't move from this position until the healer returned from the tests. He held the results in his hand. "Alright Doc, so now that that's done with, what now?" The healer's smile was no longer as celebratory. "I'm sorry, but the tests came back negative. Ms. Morgan isn't pregnant."

George and Lizzie were shocked, to say the least. "Not pregnant? Bu-but my period… and the morning sickness…" The healer quickly waved away the questions with the parchment in his hand. "Both can be explained by stress. Have you been under exceptional stress as of late, Miss Morgan?"

Lizzie's face fell. She had been under a lot of stress. Cass' building anger, George discovering what she was most ashamed of, it had all caused her immense amounts of stress. "I understand. Thank you, you've been very helpful," The healer nodded, smiling once more before leaving the room.

George threw a dazzling smile Lizzie's way. "This is great Lizzie-bean!" he proclaimed, getting off of his chair. He couldn't help but notice, however, that Lizzie was not sharing his enthusiasm. She had gotten up from the bench she had occupied, and made her way to the window, staring out of it blankly and resting her hand on her flat stomach. The lack of emotion in her face baffled him. "Liz?"

Tears began streaming down Lizzie's face, even though she wasn't audibly crying. She hadn't realized it for all of her anxiety, but she had started to get used to the idea of being a mother. She may have even been excited about it, deep down. Now that she knew that she wasn't pregnant, she felt strangely empty. She was achingly aware of how hollow she was.

George didn't understand any of this, but he walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Come on, we can catch a muggle-cab home," he offered. She nodded, and let him lead her gently out of St. Mungo's.


	5. Chapter 5

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It took them nearly a half hour to get back to George's apartment the muggle way, and George kept Lizzie's mind off of things by impersonating muggles they saw walk by. He made the most fun of muggle businessmen on their cell phones, fabricating conversations he imagined they were having with a fictional character on the other end of the line. This succeeded in squeezing a giggle or two out of Lizzie, which pleased George to no end.

Once they were back home, George sat her down on the couch. "Alright, so now tell me what's wrong," he said jauntily, pulling up a chair and preparing to listen. "You wouldn't be able to understand," Lizzie insisted, leaning back on the settee of the couch, doing her best to be calm about the conversation. "Try me," George urged.

Lizzie took a deep breath and directed her gaze out the window adjacent from the couch. "When I found out that I was… or thought I was pregnant, I was scared shitless. The idea of raising a child on my own, things like that; they all terrified me. But there was another feeling too. Like all of the pain I went through… everything I put up with, it wasn't for nothing. It gave it all meaning," she trailed off at that thought. She couldn't say the rest out loud. Now that there was no baby, everything she had suffered was for nothing. It was meaningless pain, something unnecessary. It was all for nothing.

George nodded, not judging or comforting, just listening. Once he was sure she was done, he got up and joined her on the couch, slinging his arm around her and sighing. "Well, how am I supposed to react to that?" he asked. Lizzie smiled a little and rested her head on his shoulder.

There were a few moments of comfortable silence before George spoke again. "I still want you to stay here for a while. I don't want you by yourself when all of this is being sorted out," Lizzie felt a rush of relief. She had been afraid that George wouldn't be so generous after they had found out she wasn't pregnant.

"I'll get your things over here with the floo network. You can sleep in my bed and I'll take the cou…" George began but Lizzie cut him off. "No! Absolutely not! I'm not kicking you out of your own bed!" Lizzie appreciated his generosity, but she wouldn't feel right about that.

"Well you're sure as hell not sleeping on the couch!" George insisted. They stared at each other intensely for a moment before Lizzie came to a decision. "Well, I guess we're sharing the bed then," she said, as-a-matter-of-factly.

George groaned a little bit at the thought. The idea was too tempting. "Well, as long as you're comfortable with that…" Lizzie gave him an enthusiastic smile. "Of course. I trust you more than anyone else I know," The amount of trust she had put in him triggered a pang of guilt in George. She wouldn't feel that way if she knew what he was thinking.

"I don't know how I'm going to thank you for all this," Lizzie admitted. George rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair playfully. "Don't worry about it," he insisted.

"So do you think you want to come back to work?" he asked. Lizzie didn't even need to think about it. She nodded enthusiastically, a big smile stretching across her face. It would be nice to get things back to normal.

Lizzie, wanting to keep herself busy, made her way into George's small kitchen to start cooking dinner. She opened all of the cabinets only to find that George had barely anything filling them. It was mostly different kinds of candy and cereal. "What the hell is this?" she exclaimed, digging through his chaotic pantry. "There isn't anything real in here!"

George scoffed. "What? So all the food in there is imaginary then?" Lizzie rolled her eyes at him. "Well it's obvious you haven't eaten anything decent in a while,"

"That's not true!" George said defiantly. "I sometimes bring stuff home from the Leaky Cauldron," Lizzie decided that this simply wouldn't do.

"Well you're going to have a legitimate meal tonight. C'mon! We're going shopping!" With that, the two of them donned their coats and made their way to the market and Lizzie began carefully chosing amongst numerous vegetables and meats. George couldn't tell the difference between one carrot and the other, but he trusted her judgment.

Something that George hadn't noticed before, was how much attention Lizzie attracted while in public. Adolescent boys and elderly men alike would occasionally stop and give her a once over. One or two even glared at him, assuming that they were a couple. George especially enjoyed messing with these guys. As they walked by, he liked to put his arm around her shoulders and squeeze her gently, or give her a kiss on the cheek. Lizzie assumed they were just random reminders of affection, and the men thought it was his way of screwing with them. In truth, it was a bit of both.

After she had collected everything she needed to sufficiently fill his cupboards, they made their way back to the apartment. After unloading all the foodstuffs, she set to work cutting a peeling vegetables and marinating meat.

George had never found cooking sexy before. He had watched his mother cook all the time when he was a child but watching Lizzie cook was an entirely new experience. Watching her murmuring spells, swishing her wand, and performing tasks she didn't know the incantations for made him smile. It seemed like a strange thing to turn him on, but he went with it. It's not like he would act on it anyways.

The kitchen quickly filled with delicious smells. Lizzie sighed and stepped back, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Well, give it another thirty minutes and it will be time to eat," George's reply was to take a handful of discarded vegetable peels and throwing them at her. She screeched at the sudden cold peels hitting the back of her neck. George laughed hysterically at her surprise.

"Think that's funny, do you?" she growled playfully. She took a handful of vegetable peels for herself and retaliated. This quickly turned into an all out vegetable peel war! They ran all over the flat chucking potato and carrot peels at each other. After a while, Lizzie had run out of vegetable peels.

George laughed in an exaggeratedly evil manner. "All out of ammo!" he proclaimed, tackling her to the couch, tickling her. She screeched and laughed hysterically, trying to squirm out from under him. "Silly mortal! There is no escape," After a few moments of wrestling, George had pinned her with a triumphant cry.

Lizzie did not seemed bothered by their current position but George was hyper-aware of it. Every part of him, from his legs to his torso was pressed tightly up against her. He quickly leapt off and helped her to her feet, trying not to appear frazzled by the experience.

They ate their delicious meal and got ready for bed. Long after Lizzie had fallen asleep, George was lying awake, deep in thought. Lizzie would be living with him for quite a while and he wasn't sure if he could keep a cap on his feelings for that long. He rolled over on his side to watch her sleep. She wouldn't be ready for any kind of relationship, he was sure of that. He would just have to be a friend to her, nothing more. He sighed and kissed her cheek before rolling over and finally falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you, again, to everyone who reviewed! Especially those of you who review religiously (you know who you are)! I love you guys SOOO much. Keep them coming! Now for all of your questions:

I am so glad you guys are enjoying my constant updating but I won't be able to keep it up. I just happen to have a lot of free time right now. But I will keep updating as soon as possible, even when I don't have much free time.

For those of you who were asking "Where did Cass go?": Never fear! That's what this chapter is about!

Like I said, keep those reviews coming! Enjoy.

All standard disclaimers apply.

Lizzie woke up the next morning with something heavy across her stomach. She opened her eyes reluctantly to see George's arm slung across her affectionately. He was still asleep, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open. Lizzie giggled at the sight and lifted his arm off of her, rolling out of bed and heading towards the bathroom to take a shower. By the time she has gotten out, Fred was just waking up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good Morning, sleepy head," she said cheerfully. George looked over at her and, once again, she was only in a towel. "Merlin Lizzie-bean! Would it kill you to have some clothes on?" Of course, he didn't mind her being nearly naked in front of him, but he wasn't going to let her catch on to that.

Lizzie just smiled and urged him out of bed. "C'mon, c'mon! Hurry up and get in the shower. You don't want to be late for work," she was so excited to be going back to the shop that she was completely impervious to the sleepy glares George was throwing her way.

She rushed him through his morning routine and practically ran all the way to Diagon Alley. She got there a few moments before George but she froze about fifty feet from the entrance, her eyes wide. When George finally caught up to her, he noticed her shocked face before he noticed what she was shocked about. The front of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had been destroyed. The windows had been broken and inside, they could see numerous displays had been torn down, spilling the contents onto the floor.

Lizzie and George approached the desecrated shop in shocked silence. Once inside, they inspected the damage, starting to magic things back into their place.

"Burglars?" Lizzie asked, repairing one of the broken display windows. George shook his head. "No, couldn't be. The place is charmed against burglars breaking in. Whoever did this was doing it just to do it," After a few more moments of silence, Lizzie asked the question that both of them had been wondering since they had seen it.

"Do you think it was Cass?" George didn't want to admit it, but he was almost completely sure it had been. He didn't know whether the Restraining Order notice had reached him yet, and he was sure that he would be wondering where she had gone to. Regardless of these thoughts swimming in his head, he replied with an: "I'm not sure,"

They had fixed most of the damage by the time Lee and Fred arrived. They didn't have time to explain what had happened before Lee scooped Lizzie into his arms with a celebratory cry. "She's back! She's back! She's back!" he cried towards the ceiling, spinning a giggling Lizzie around and around until he was too tired to do so anymore.

The four of them had fixed the shop completely by opening time. The customers were almost excited as Lee and Fred to see Lizzie had returned. The day was filled with more goofiness than usual.

George decided that, in order to initiate her back into the working force, he would have to have a little bit of fun at her expense. "Arachnea Sersum" he whispered, pointing his wand at her surreptitiously. A large, vapory spider materialized from the tip of his wand and landed gracefully on her shoulder, tickling her neck with it's hairy legs.

Lizzie let out a shriek of shock, frantically swiping away the comically large spider from her person. George doubled over with laughter, clutching his sides. Lizzie quickly realized that George had been the source of this little prank and she swooped down on him immediately.

"You bloody git!" she exclaimed, whacking him with the roster book playfully. "I'll kill you!" She of course, did not. George had picked her up easily, to protect himself, still laughing hysterically.

Lee and Fred were watching this interaction amusedly. "He fancies her," Lee stated frankly, watching him spinning around with her in his arms with ease. "Really?" Fred asked sarcastically, feigning shock. "I was under the impression that he couldn't stand her," both grinned at each other. It had become, at that moment, their lives' goal to get them together.

The happy moment was ruined when the door to the shop was thrown open with such force that it knocked several products off the nearby walls. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing," Cass' voice boomed through the shop. All of the customers fell silent and all eyes were on Cass. His handsome features were contorted with rage, his grey eyes flashing like iron and his hair fell into his face, like it always did when he was most angry.

George put Lizzie down and gave his brother a meaningful look and Fred and Lee immediately started ushering their customers out of the store. The three of them, Cass, Lizzie, and George just stood there, looking at each other silently until everyone but them had vacated the store.

"Cass…" Liz started tentatively but she was silenced by a bone-chilling glare. "You will shut your god damn mouth you bloody whore!" He growled. She shrunk back obediently, pressing her lips together firmly.

George whipped out his wand and pointed it at Cass. "Don't talk to her like that," he demanded. Cass curled his lip in a terrifying looking snarl. "This doesn't concern you, Ginger. C'mon Liz, we're going home," Lizzie didn't know what to do. She looked at George, a little scared and completely unsure of what to do. He gave her a look of encouragement.

Lizzie took a deep breath and looked her ex-boyfriend in the steely eye. "No…" she said, with an air of uncertainty. "I'm sorry, what?" he hissed. She took another deep breath, this time with more certainty. "I'm not going back, Cass," she stated firmly. George was impressed. He hadn't thought it was possible for Lizzie to stand up to Cass like that. He beamed at her.

Cass was just as stunned but much less pleased. "Lizzie darling, you need to come home now," he said calmly, but still sternly. He must have realized that brute aggression wasn't winning her over. "We'll have a nice evening and forget this whole incident ever happened," George didn't believe that for a second, and neither did Lizzie.

"Cass, go home," she said firmly. "I'm not leaving with you and I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from popping back into my life," She hadn't said it in a cruel way, but firmly and with a certain air of authority that shocked George and Cass.

Cass couldn't stand this level of degradation in front of another man. His masculine ego was knocked down too many pegs for him to bear. His face turned numerous shades of furious red. "I'll let you think this over," he hissed through his teeth. "I'll be back, Lizzie," and with that he stormed out of the store.

Lizzie let out a huge sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Lizzie-bean. Once those papers at the Ministry are filed, Wanker McDuechebag won't come near you again," George assured her. She laughed a little and smiled at him. "Do you mind if I head home a little early?" she asked. She wasn't sure if she could face Fred and Lee just yet. George nodded, grinning at her and waving as she walked out of the store. She was a lot stronger than he had given her credit for, and that made her all the more attractive.


End file.
